Title: Performance evaluation of teaching in higher education: a gap model and its application

Authors: Heinz Ahn; Marcel Clermont; Yvonne Höfer-Diehl

Addresses: Institute of Management Control and Business Accounting, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany ' Institute of Management Control and Business Accounting, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany ' ContiTech Thermopol LLC, 9 Interstate Drive, Somersworth, NH 03878, USA

Abstract: Our paper presents a new performance evaluation tool for teaching, which concentrates on the interaction between the teacher and his students. The elements which enable this interaction are disclosed based on concepts and research results from educational sciences. These elements are structured by means of the gap model developed by Parasuraman et al. (1985), which provides the basis for revealing existing gaps in the interaction between a teacher and his students. To measure these gaps, a mixed method approach - consisting of interview, observation, survey, and document analyses - is proposed. The resulting information is structured with the help of a gap matrix. In order to analyse the particular information, a gap profile can be derived, which offers concrete indications for a critical reflection on a course. The practical benefits of the approach are demonstrated with the help of an exploratory analysis of teacher-specific and course-specific gap profiles.

Keywords: evaluation of teaching; gap model; performance evaluation; mixed methods; qualitative analysis.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPSPM.2017.084671

International Journal of Public Sector Performance Management, 2017 Vol.3 No.2, pp.119 - 147

Accepted: 25 Oct 2016
Published online: 20 Jun 2017 *

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